TY - JOUR
T1 - Evaluating Nonattachment and Decentering as Possible Mediators of the Link Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress in a Nonclinical College Sample
AU - Bhambhani, Yash
AU - Cabral, Gail
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015, © The Author(s) 2015.
PY - 2016/10/1
Y1 - 2016/10/1
N2 - Although increasing evidence shows that mindfulness is positively related to mental health, the nature and mechanisms of this relationship are not fully understood. Based on previous research findings and suggestions, the authors of the current study hypothesized that decentering and nonattachment are 2 variables that mediate the relationship between mindfulness and psychological distress. A nonclinical, non-treatment-seeking sample of 308 students and employees from a middle-class, primarily Caucasian university filled out mindfulness, decentering, nonattachment, and mental distress measures online. Mediational analyses failed to support the hypothesis. Results suggest that mindfulness and nonattachment are independent predictors of nonclinical psychological distress and fully explain the effect of decentering on psychological distress. Results should be interpreted with caution and not generalized to clinical issues. A more comprehensive look into the mechanisms of mindfulness, especially with rigorous experimental, longitudinal studies, is warranted. The authors stress the importance of checking alternative, equivalent models in mediation studies.
AB - Although increasing evidence shows that mindfulness is positively related to mental health, the nature and mechanisms of this relationship are not fully understood. Based on previous research findings and suggestions, the authors of the current study hypothesized that decentering and nonattachment are 2 variables that mediate the relationship between mindfulness and psychological distress. A nonclinical, non-treatment-seeking sample of 308 students and employees from a middle-class, primarily Caucasian university filled out mindfulness, decentering, nonattachment, and mental distress measures online. Mediational analyses failed to support the hypothesis. Results suggest that mindfulness and nonattachment are independent predictors of nonclinical psychological distress and fully explain the effect of decentering on psychological distress. Results should be interpreted with caution and not generalized to clinical issues. A more comprehensive look into the mechanisms of mindfulness, especially with rigorous experimental, longitudinal studies, is warranted. The authors stress the importance of checking alternative, equivalent models in mediation studies.
KW - decentering
KW - mechanisms
KW - mindfulness
KW - nonattachment
KW - psychological distress
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U2 - 10.1177/2156587215607109
DO - 10.1177/2156587215607109
M3 - Article
C2 - 26427788
AN - SCOPUS:84989225578
SN - 2156-5872
VL - 21
SP - 295
EP - 305
JO - Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
JF - Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
IS - 4
ER -